Insulated sound transmitting ear cells for a cap



lMay l, 1956 R. l. wooDBURY INSULATED SOUND TRANSMITTING EAR CELLS FOR ACAP Filed March 17, 1954 .Ivmvvn IN VEN TOR.

. D Odbury Rober- L AT TURA/EY INSULATED SOUND TRANSMITTING EAR CELLSFon A CAP Robert L. Woodbury, Washington, D. C., 'assignor to the UnitedStates of America as represented by the Secretary ofthe Army Theinvention described herein, if patented, may be manufactured and used byor for the Government for governmental purposes, without thepayment tome of any royalty thereon. v v

The present invention relates to improvements in caps.

A primary object of the invention is to provide a winter cap for use bymembers of the armed services, and the like, having means adjacent tothe ears of the wearer for protecting the ears'from cold and wind, butreadily admitting sound.

Another object is to provide a wind resistant, water repellent fabriccap having ear tlap portions including pockets within which are arrangedapertured inserts of flexible cellular material, adapted to admit soundto the ears, while insulating the ears from cold, wind and moisturel"Another object is to provide a cap of the above-mentioned characterwhich will provide dead air insulating spaces between the ears of thewearer and the outside of the cap for heat insulating purposes.Further.r objects of the invention are to provide a cap of theabove-'mentioned character which is simplified and economical inconstruction, sturdy and durable, soft and comfortable duringA wearing,and neat and attractive in appearance.,

Other objects and advantages of 'the invention will be apparent duringthe course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, and inwhich like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout thesame, p

Figure l is a perspective view of a cap embodying the invention,

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevation of the cap showingits construction at one of the ear regions of the same,

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary horizontal section taken on line 3 3of Figure 2,

Figure 4 is an enlarged Verticall section taken on line 4--4 of Figure2, y

Figure 5 is a perspective View of one of the heat insulating and soundtransmitting inserts removed from the cap, and,

Figure 6 is a perspective View of the cap with its chin strapsunfastened. l

ln the drawings, where for the purpose of illustration is shown apreferred embodiment fof the invention, the numeral 10 designates thetop or crown of the cap, stitched by a line of stitches 11 to agenerally vertical panel or side wall 12. The cap is provided at itsfront with a suitable peak i3 stitched to the bottom edge of the sideWall l2 by lines of stitching 14, as shown.

The cap further comprises a downwardly extending portion or llap l5,extending continuously about the rear and sides of the cap and havingits forward ends terminating at the opposite ends of the peak 13. Theflap is secured to the lower edge of the cap side wall 12 by the linesof stitches 14,' which extend continuously about the entire length orcircumference of the sidewall 12. The flap 15 is adapted to cover theback of the neck and the sides of. the face and head, in the regions ofthe ears. The flap 15 United States Patent O 2,743,454 `Patented May'v195,6

is provided at its forward ends with integral depending taperedextensions 16 forming chin straps, and these chin straps 16 may beprovided near their lower ends with buttons 17 and elastic loops 18 and19, to facilitate fastening the chin straps beneath the chin of thewearer, and to also aid in tying the chin straps above the crown 10 whendesired.

` -T he crown 10, side wall 12 andthe entire ilap'15, including chinstraps 16 are formed from a suitable wind resistant and water repellentwoven fabric, such as woven cotton twill and poplin, or the like. Thepeak 13 is likewise covered with fabric of the same type, and thepeakmay be reinforced or stiffened with a suitable insert of relativelystiff material, such as cardboard or the like. The inner faces of thecrown 10 and cap side wall 12 are preferably entirely lined with arelatively heavy woven wool fabric or the like, as indicated generallyat 20. The inner faces of the depending ilap 15 and chin straps 16 arepreferably lined with a suitable pile fabric lining 21, except at theportions of the flap 15 adjacent to the ears of the wearer, as will befurther described` The wool lining 20 may be stitched to the innersurfaces of the crown 10 and side wall12 by the lines of stitching 11and 14, and the pile fabric lining 21 is stitched to the inner face ofthe flap 15 by marginal lines of stitching 22 and 23. y f

The outer face of theflap 15 is provided in the regions of the ears withgenerally rectangular patchesor sections 24 of wind resistant, waterrepellent woven cotton fabric, or the like, of a somewhat coarser weavethan the fabric making up the outer face of the remainder of the flap15. The patches 24 are secured to the outer side of the flap 15 bymarginal lines of stitching 25 and 26, as well as by the lines ofstitching 14 and 22. The patches 24 replace ythe more tightly wovenfabric forming the remainder of the outer face of the flap 15 in theregions covered by the patches, and the more closely woven fabric is cutaway in the areas covered by the patches 24. The patches 24 are made ofwater repellent fabric, and they are'still adapted to oifer considerableresistance to the passage of wind therethrough, and are better adaptedto admit sound than the fabric employed in the remainder of the outerface of the tlap 15. l

On the inner face of the ilap 15, at the same areas covered by thepatches 24, the pile fabric lining 21 is cut away or notched to providefor inner patches or sections 27 of thin, rather loosely Woven orknitted woolen fabric. The patches 24 and 27 are of the same size andshape, and the inner patches 27 are adapted to transmit sound freely tothe ears, although they aid somewhat in protecting the ears from thewind or cold. The inner woolen patches 27 are stitched to the flap 15 bythe lines of stitches 22, 25 and 26, as shown. The outer patches 24 aremore` tightly woven, and therefore more imperforate than the` innercoarsely woven or foraminous fabric patches 27.

The patches 27 form with the outer patches v424i pockets or enclosuresfor generally rectangular flexible inserts or pads 28 of expanded,cellular rubber-like material, such as cellular polyvinyl chloride, orthe like. Material of this type is presently manufactured by the UnitedStates Rubber Company under the name of Ensolite The polyvinyl chloridestock making up the inserts 28 is com` vthough this thickness is notcritical, and may be varied somewhat ifdesired.A The -inserts are verysoft and flexible, `andtheirlcellular `construction provides .amultiplicity of closely spaced random dead air cells in the inserts 28,throughout their entire body portions. `The inserts 28 are provided overtheir entire areas with a plurality of relatively closely spacedapertures 29, extending theren through, and ythe purpose of theapertures 29 is to admit sound `freely through the inserts 28 -to theears. The apertures 29 may be approximately 1A; of an `inch indiarneter, although their :size is lnot critical, and be varied somewhatas desired.

rlhe inserts 28 are of a size to substantially fill the pockets -formedby-the'patches 24 and 27, and the patches 24 and`27 contact the outer`and inner facesj of the inserts 28 and cover the opposite ends of theapertures 29. This affords substantially dead air spaces within theapertures 29 of the inserts, to provide further heat insulation in theregions of the ears. Sound is freely admissible through the patches 24and 27 and ythrough the apertures 29, and

the `outer patches 24 will resist the passage of wind and moistureto theears, as lwillthe inner patches 27 to a somewhat lesser extent. Theinserts 28 provide effective barriers to prevent the passage of wind andmoisture to the ears, and the inserts also effectively insulate the earsfrom thecold.

The inserts'28 may be inserted into the pockets formed by the patches 24and 27, prior to closing the top ends of the pockets-with the line ofstitching 23. i

It is thus seen that a soft type fabric cap is provided with heatinsulating, wind resistant and water repellent cells or -units in theregions of the flap 15 adjacent the earsof the wearer. These cells orunits are adapted at the same time to facilitate the passage of sound tothe ears, while they are protecting the ears from cold and from theelements. The said cells or units are soft and readily flexible, and donot render the cap in any way uncomfortable, bulky or unattractive inappearance. The outer patches 24 are preferably made of fabric havingthe samecolor as the remainder of the woven material upon the outer sideof the cap, such as olive drab or the like.

Itis to be understood that the form of the invention,

herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of4the same, .and that various changes `in formed of an outer flexiblesheet of closely woven windi resistant fabric and Van inner llexiblesheet of thin coarse forarninous fabric, means ysecuring said sheets ofthe pocket together near their marginal edges, and a thick insert ofcellular rubberlike material arranged within the pocket and between saidsheets and conforming to the shape of the pocket and substantiallyyfilling it, the thickness of said insert 4being considerably greaterthan the combined thicknesses of said sheets, said insert having amultiplicity of spaced apertures extending therethrough of a diametersubstantially smaller than the thickness of said insert, whereby Isoundis readily transmitted through said :apertures `and appreciable heatloss by convection therethrough is prevented.

2. A thermally insulating sound transmitting ear cell for a cap or thelike according to claim 1, wherein said insert is formed of unicellularpolyvinyl chloride.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS`948,273 Finestone et al Feb. l, 1910 970,544 .Passman Sept. 20, 19101,833,708 Ford Nov. 24, 1931 2,066,503 `Wiggers Jan. 5, 1937 2,345,649Zimmerman et al Apr. 4, 1944 2,367,459 Corley Jan. 16, 19.45 2,462,258Dannenberg Feb. 22, 1949 2,634,415 Turner et al Apr. 14, 1953 2,684,067Lienard July 20, 1954 FOREIGN VPATEIJTS 22,608 Great Britain 19081,037,901 France May 6, 1953

